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Want bluetooth in your e46? How about iPod? Sirius Satellite? Oh, and an auxiliary input?

The Dice Mediabridge was just released and will meet those needs.
The device can be installed either in the trunk (referred to as trunk interface),
or at the radio (referred to as radio interface). This install did not include the Sirius Satellite interface.


This review/DIY refers to the radio interface version.

First, let's look at what you get:



From left to right:
microphone
firmware update cable
mediabridge unit
iPod cable (extra)
wiring harness
USB extension cable (can be used in place of iPod as a source)



Here's a shot of the connectors on the Mediabridge.

From top to bottom:
interface connection
USB/iPod port
Sirius Satellite Radio
Auxiliary Input
Microphone input



Here's a shot of the wiring harness.

Begin by removing the trim on the passenger side:



There will be four attachment points, work each one loose and the trim panel will pop off.



The center trim panel can then be removed, there is only one attachment point for it.



Remove the two screws and the radio will slide out.



Remove all connections from the back of the radio - mine had two.
One large harness for the radio, and a small single pin connector for the antenna.



I didn't get any really good pictures of this, but next I removed the glove box.
There were six screws around the edges of the glove box, then I had to pop it
forward and it slid right out.



Glove box removed and sitting on passenger floor.



I did a quick connection and test to make sure everything was working.
A successful test completed, I then disconnected the unit and began running
the microphone cable. I wanted to install the microphone in the factory
location, which is in the same panel that houses the homelink transmitter and sunroof switch.

I began running the wire up the outside of the passenger A pillar.







After I brought the wire up the A pillar, I then ran it up into the headliner and over to the
center panel. I removed the panel, fed the microphone through the headliner, and then hid
the cable.



Microphone installed in factory location, all wiring hidden, panel reinstalled.



I also finished tucking the wire along the outside of the A pillar down past the dashboard
and then brought it into the glovebox area.

Next, I removed/loosened the center vents, HVAC control unit, and the frame for the radio and HVAC.
Removing the center vents took some work - various forums warned me they would be tightly attached
and they were right!

I used my interior panel pry tools, and a small screwdriver (taped up to protect the interior) to
wiggle the vents free. Once the top two corners were free, I lifted/wiggled the bottom of the
vents until they finally came loose. Here's a picture of the vents removed.



I also removed the sunglasses cubby and temporarily moved the HVAC control unit out of the way.
To remove the sunglass cubby, simply reach inside the cubby and pop up while pulling toward you.
The panel will disengage and come right out.

Removing the HVAC panel was simple as well, simply push from behind the panel and it will slide forward.



There are two screws to remove the carrier which holds the radio and HVAC unit.
These screws are located below the HVAC unit.



With the carrier slid forward, I could then reposition the factory harness connector for the radio.
I moved it up and to the left of its original position.



Sorry, no pictures of these steps - my photographer was not available!
I then fed the wiring harness for the mediabridge above and behind the carrier.
I connected the Mediabridge harness to the factory harness for the radio.
I removed the blue clip from the cd changer cable in the factory harness and
placed it on the harness for the Mediabridge and secured the replacement cable.

I then connected the Mediabridge.

Here's a couple shots of everything put back together and tested.





So, after all that - what's the verdict?
I opted for the radio interface as I thought it would be easier than having to run a cable
all the way from the trunk cd changer interface to the front of the car.
Now, after having done the install, I think it might be a wash.
While it would probably be more work running that cable forward, and positioning the mediabridge
device; there's absolutely no room to work in the dash area. Feeding the cables in and
out took forever.

Also, I did several test fits and had some issues with the harness connector on the back of the
radio. That plastic has been through a few heat cycles and cracked while I was fiddling with it.
If the radio side of the connector breaks, the only option is to replace the radio.
For now, the connection is holding well.

So, the tradeoff is fiddling around in the dash or running a cable from the trunk.

Difficulty of install: 6 out of 10. I'm rating it slightly above average (with one being easiest)
simply because of the confined workspace, the difficult harness connection (BMW loves their cam-lock
connectors) and running cables in the dash. Interior disassembly on the e46 has come a long way
from the e36, and is very easy. I'm always fearful of removing trim in the e36 because it all feels
like it was designed to be installed once. The e46 interior does not feel this way.

Performance:
The device functions as advertised. I did not test the auxiliary input or the Sirius satellite radio
connection. I did test the USB/iPod interface, and the bluetooth interface. Both worked very well.
The system announces what you are listening to when using iPod, and will announce callers when your
phone rings or you dial a number.

Bluetooth streaming worked very well and I was happy with the sound quality. Using the phone also
worked without any issues; callers reported they could clearly hear me and there was no echo. The
time involved in installing the microphone in the factory location is really worth the effort as
its shielded from wind and noise, plus its totally hidden.

The unit is somewhat particular about the process of going into its built-in setup mode. I did have
some problems getting the unit to respond to setup mode requests. You can use the setup mode to do
things like program how long it'll charge an iPod when the car is shut off, how quickly it scrolls
data across the radio, and other items like volume, etc.

The install guide/instruction manual is bare bones and could stand some improvement. The device
is sold through EAS - European Auto Source - they have been
very responsive and helpful during the purchase process. I'll report back on their response regarding
some of the concerns/issues I noted.

Dont know what's more impressive, the install or the write up! Nice work Greg!

Great job Greg!

Great job! You are doing all of the things I should have done years ago!


- Nice sig pic Chuck...

Thanks for the comments!

Couple of updates - I replaced the radio due to the connection issue and everything is working well. The Mediabridge is integrated perfectly with the stereo system. I'll have some more photos, and be watching an upcoming Milepost for an article detailing the install and a review of the product.

This intrigues me on MANY levels, and in fact, is the VERY reason why I joined the club so I could go to the meeting at Santa Fe.. :D

I'm looking at having one of these in the E85, and more importantly, one with the iPhone/ iPod dock that mounts into the ashtray. I like the look-but I use the iPhone for Navigation (Google maps and GPS apps) all the time for work, so having it where I can see it always is crucial. (I know BMW has some type of option for a cord to go into the glovebox, but I can't see a map in there! :) )

Some pontifications I have:
- My window sticker said "wired for 6-disc changer", but it does not have one. (Changers? We don' need no stinkin' CHANGERS!!) So, if I have the 'wiring' for one, then this means the connections are there on the back of the BizRadio, and I'm good-right?

- Since I already HAVE Bluetooth, I shouldn't get the 'Media Box' version of the Dice, because would it interfere with the existing Bluetooth? (Or not?)

- While it is not imperative that I have 'display' capability, it would be nice... but since my primary goal is for MAP and PHONE use (in that particular order), will I still have steering wheel control to answer the phone as usual? (I would love it if this had a 'cleaner' Bluetooth with noise canceling capabilities- almost makes it worth trying to run the mic into the steering).

You are pre-wired for the cd-changer so all the connections will be there.
Do you have a seperate ipod you want to use, or are you going to use the iphone?

The iPhone. Yea verily.

Another thing that I just read about in the BSW Information pages was how sometimes if you disconnect the battery, you need a 'Security Code'.... ummmmmm wazzat? Where can I obtain such a treasure?

i don't know about the newer z cars, but many newer BMW's do not require the security code for the radio.
if you do need it, it should be in the owner's manual for the radio i believe.

someone with more experience with the newer cars can confirm that for sure.

so, you want to use the iphone as an ipod, a phone, and a GPS?

i don't think the factory bluetooth will support audio streaming, and i think the spec.dock isn't compatible with the latest iphone (not 100% certain on that).

when i looked into this a few months ago there were some possible issues with the spec.dock that made me decide not to use it with my iphone; can't recall for sure right now the details....

if you are planning on using the iphone as mentioned above (ipod, iphone, GPS) then you will want the Dice Mediabridge and you may very well need to disconnect the factory bluetooth. If that's necessary, you could probably pull it out of the car and sell it.

the Mediabridge will allow you to stream GPS or ipod to the stereo via bluetooth.
It will also allow you to answer calls with your steering wheel buttons, but the operation is a bit different than the factory system. to answer a call with the Mediabridge, you press the track up button on your steering wheel.
Pressing track down ignores the call. The Mediabridge is upgradeable, and there has been talk of changing that functionality so it works like the factory bluetooth.

The only function I'm not certain how it will perform is using GPS on the phone. I have a Garmin GPS so I don't use that system on my iphone. I don't know how the mediabridge would handle streaming music while the GPS is also streaming.

Ok, I will check into that when I get home... verrrrrry interesting..

Yes- but not really an "AND" a GPS... I have Google Maps ON my iPhone, so I'll just use that App when I need it, from the phone. (The dock allows the phone to "stand" in place in the ashtray- so I could still see the GoogiMap... as opposed to the cord in the glovebox method.)

Ok, but if it's run through the 6-Disc Changer connection, I'm a little confused as to how it would interfere with the Bluetooth- unless the Factory Bluetooth *uses* the 6-Disc Changer connection??

Anxious to find out your reason as to why you weren't into the dock idea..

Music thru the Bluetooth sort of defeats the purpose of the Dice, wouldn't it? As for Googimap-that's pure iPhone there. :)

Pardon the thread jack...

greg's is neater than mine but i went a different route:
http://www.amazon.com/USA-SPEC-PA12-BMW--vehicle-interface/dp/B000SKUBWE/ref=sr_1_1?s=gateway&ie=UTF8&qid=1285010660&sr=8-1


different methods same results, except i didn't go for bluetooth, i wanted pure ipod adaptness.
yes i'm a luddite in tech clothing.

but that just means all the rest of you kiddies have options and the ability to compare/contrast the two different systems if you can get me and greg..nay Greg and I, in the same place at the same time.

i also added in a JL amp and sub at the same time, borrowing the instructions for bavarian sound werks' amp install.

FYI if anyone plans to put an amp in their trunk...get dual 10's or a single 12..the sound proofing in these cars are amazing.

re: code

some of the newer cars will power up the radio as long as it senses an ibus signal.

re: factory bluetooth

i don't recall how the factory bluetooth is integrated into the stereo; i'd need a wiring diagram for the car.
while i don't think it'll "interfere" with anything, as a matter of sanity it's a good idea to have as few bluetooth
systems involved as is possible.

the factory system does not allow audio streaming via bluetooth (ie, A2DP).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth_profile

Bluetooth streaming and phone control/handsfree are two totally different animals.

re: bluetooth streaming

my point was this - i'm not sure how the mediabridge will behave if you have an active app running on the phone while streaming audio. how does the iphone behave? if it'll stream audio in the background while running the GPS app, then i'd say the mediabridge will be fine.

music thru bluetooth doesn't defeat Dice - it's one of the key elements of the Dice product.

i would also suspect bluetooth streaming would allow GPS audio from the iphone. i don't believe the factory system will do that since it doesn't support streaming, but i could easily be wrong on that.

re: dock

as i recall, it had to do with how the phone would then switch from various modes; for example, how does it handle an incoming call while streaming, etc. I recall that I wasn't happy with how it switched modes on the dock. I wanted near seamless operation so I didn't have to switch modes on the phone if a call came in.

As an example - while connected to the Mediabridge I can have the iphone streaming music to the stereo, if a call comes in, the phone mutes and mediabridge then prompts me to answer or ignore the call.

After using streaming bluetooth for audio, though, i wasn't happy with the quality. i now use an ipod connected to the mediabridge for music, and use the iphone for phone and audiobooks. the mediabridge will even switch sources so if i'm listening to music on the ipod and my phone rings it'll mute/pause the ipod, switch to the phone, prompt me for answer/ignore, and then go back to the ipod when i'm done.

re: iphone dock/mounting

it might be worth looking at KUDA, Pro-Fit, and a few others to see if there's a vehicle specific mount for your car.
one option would then be to take the wiring from the factory bluetooth and convert it into a USB port which could then be used to power the iphone.

This is AWESOME!!! :)

I like this especially, because I really didn't want to get knee-deep into this project, only to discover that there could be potential 'pitfalls' that I had no idea to watch for. This discussions helps tremendously- as now I have a basis group of questions to ask...

Thank you SOOOOO much for your input on this - keep it coming!

Attempting right now. Thanks for the great write up. Will post how long it takes! - Post edit. Stopped at 2 hrs. This is way more complex than putting a radio in my old e36M3!

My DICE media bridge didnt come w/ a cable to update it. Mild panic ensues when I read that they now do this to be green, but you can get one by writing and waiting 4-6 weeks!


Random pic of install


Minor hick-up came when I dropped part of the battery connecting bolt down behind it! Required unistall & my wifes small hands to reach under tray to get it. Bonus was that I found out that the battery was a made in 2/09 meaning its new'ish & an OEM!


I put it all together & tested it as Greg did above. Very glad I did because the CD cable was upside down and no sound was coming out. Now have to put it all together & that looks like its gonna take way longer cuz the AC vents have to come out.

Thanks Greg for the write up and all the answers to my tech questions!

Wow. That was much more involved than I thought it would be. At least 5 hours of work. Course I am not very good w/ stereo stuff & never done/seen this before. The trim removal kit from bavarian autosport was a huge help & saved damage to the car. Of all the reference/write ups on the web, this IMHO is the best.

The part I almost missed. Had to get this blue clip off the car harness to put on to the DICE harness. Really glad I was intereuppted overnight & that Greg was able to ID this via an email pic from me.


Really Really like the bluetooth audio streaming. Had no idea how cool that would be. I put an aux input into the sunglasses holder and put the ipod hookup into the glove box. My dice box went up inside dash vs. the authors which went into the glove box. Again thanks Greg for writing this up & answering my ?'s.